2019 Cannes Film Festival offers platform to showcase the best of Irish cinema to a global audience
Posted: 17th May 2019
Over 200 leading lights of the Irish film industry are attending the Cannes Film Festival this week in the south of France. The festival, which has premiered some of the greatest films of all time, is one of the world’s most covered media events.
This year, Irish film, Vivarium, directed by Lorcan Finnegan will screen in Competition as part of Critics Week. Vivarium will compete for two prizes at Cannes, the Nespresso Grand Prize for Best Film and the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award for Best Actor or Actress.
The internationally renowned film festival, which is in its 72nd year, runs alongside the busiest global film market, The Marche du Film. Over 200 Irish film industry professionals will attend the Marche du Film along with over 12,000 industry players from over 100 countries.
Irish films screening at the Marche du Film 2019 include Extra Ordinary, directed by Mike Ahern and Enda Loughman, A Dog Called Money, directed by Seamus Murphy, She’s Missing, directed by Alexandra McGuinness and A girl from Mogadishu, directed by Mary McGuckian.
James Hickey, CEO of Screen Ireland said: “The Cannes Film Festival and Marche du Film are the premiere film industry events of the year and offer Irish film-makers an opportunity to showcase their work to a global audience. This year Screen Ireland is delighted to have Lorcan Finnegan's film, Vivarium in official selection and to have such a wide variety of successful Irish films in the market. It is a credit to the calibre of work that the Irish film industry is continually producing to see such a strong Irish representation at Cannes”.
The Marche du Film runs from Monday 13 May to Friday 24 May, with the Cannes Film Festival ending on Saturday 25 May.
At this year’s Cannes festival, Irish producer, Cormac Fox was also selected as European Film Promotion Producer on the Move. Fox is best known as a producer of smash-hit comedy, The Young Offenders.